Turkey breast meat functionality differences among turkeys selected for body weight and/or breast yield

Abstract

Functional meat characteristics were studied in three turkey lines, (1) RBC2: representing 1960s commercial turkeys, (2) F-line: a line selected for body weight (BW) and (3) C-line: a fast growing commercial line with enhanced breast muscle yield. The RBC2s Warner-Bratzler shear force values for the Pectoralis major (PM) were lower than the F- and C-lines’ values ( P < 0.05). The WHC of the breast muscle from the C-line was lower compared with the RBC2 line ( P < 0.05), with the F-line being intermediate between, though not different from either the RBC2 or C-lines. A trend was observed, as the thermally induced meat gels from the RBC2 line PM had the highest storage modulus ( G′), the F-line was intermediate and the C-line had the lowest storage modulus ( P = 0.09). These results suggest that selection for increased growth and breast muscle yield may be associated with decreased meat functionality in modern commercial turkeys.